At least six people have lost their lives this Tuesday after the supposed firing of three missiles by the Houthis against a cargo ship in the waters of the Red Sea near the coastal city of Mocha, in Yemen, in a context of increasing tension between the rebels and the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
The Yemeni Coast Guard has updated the toll to six dead and ten injured from the attack with three missiles launched by the Houthi rebels against the merchant vessel 'Tihama' as it was crossing the Bab el Mandeb strait.
Among the fatalities are four crew members, three of them of Pakistani nationality and one Indonesian, in addition to two members of the Yemeni Armed Forces, according to the institution in an official statement.
As for the injured, the ten affected include seven sailors, two members of the Coast Guard, and one member of the Second Naval Brigade.
The impact of the missiles has caused significant material damage to the freighter, which was carrying food, and has caused a fire on the deck, as confirmed by the Ministry of Transport of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
"While the rescue teams were trying to reach the crew and evacuate the injured, the Houthi militias launched another missile at the ship in an attempt to thwart the rescue operation and endanger the lives of everyone on board, including the rescue teams. This criminal act reveals the deliberate intention of the militias to maximize casualties and prevent the rescue of the victims and the injured," lamented the ministry in a statement.
Likewise, it emphasized that this attack "evidences an escalation in violence by the Houthi militias, which seek to extend their threats to ports and civilian facilities," as well as to merchant ships in the area, which "represents a direct threat" to the supply of food and basic products for millions of Yemenis.
The British maritime agency UKMTO, linked to the Navy and responsible for monitoring incidents in the area, had previously indicated that a cargo ship had been hit by an "unknown projectile" in the Red Sea near Mocha, although for now the Houthis have not issued any statement regarding the incident.
"A cargo ship in the southern Red Sea has been hit by an unknown projectile, leaving casualties. Authorities are investigating. Ships are advised to navigate with caution and report any suspicious activity to the UKMTO," it has indicated, without providing more information for the moment.
The incident takes place shortly after the Yemeni Army attributed, in the early hours of this Tuesday, new attacks against Mocha to the Houthi insurgency, one of the most important ports still under the control of the Yemeni government and located next to the strategic Bab el Mandeb strait, as well as against residential areas in Marib, in the west of the country.
The United Nations special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has urged the parties to stop the "escalation" in Yemen and ensure the protection of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure following the sharpest increase in hostilities "since the ceasefire negotiated by the UN in 2022."